W&M hosts Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering

The William & Mary International Relations Club hosted
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering on April 12 as part of its inaugural
intercollegiate Model United Nations conference, &MUN.

Pickering, one of the most distinguished foreign service officers in the United States, spoke in the School of Education’s Matoaka Woods
room to a crowd of more than 250, addressing America’s negotiation strategy with Iran.

The event represents a growing partnership between the
International Relations Club and the greater William & Mary and
Williamsburg communities.

“We had high
attendance from the community,” noted Connor Smith ’14, the Secretary General
of &MUN I. “Many of the people in the audience had worked for (Ambassador
Pickering) or with him.”

Pickering, one of America’s most well-respected diplomats, served
as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Russia, Israel and elsewhere and
as the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. He was the chair of
a recent investigative panel on the September, 2012 attacks on the American consulate
in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the death of, among other Americans, Ambassador
J. Christopher Stevens. Pickering also served in the Iran Experts Group, which
produced a 2012 bipartisan report on U.S. strategy on Iran.

A self-described “optimist when it comes to diplomacy,” Pickering
kicked off his speech by identifying Iran as a significant force in the Middle
East, and acknowledging that the rest of the world is in awe, fear and concern
about Iran’s current positioning. He said that the U.S. response has been two to four
years late in addressing the threat.

Pickering went on to provide a concise summary of Iran’s political, social and
nuclear history and to contextualize the current difficulties facing the United
States in engaging with Iran.

The ambassador then identified the four main options the
international community has in dealings with Iran: containment, offensive
attack, sanctions and negotiations, positing that the solution will be a
combination of the four.

Pickering concluded by explaining a deal between Iran and
the United States that would be most appealing to both sides. It would include Iran’s
pursuit of a peaceful nuclear program, including the enrichment of uranium to
legal levels under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Iran’s
acceptance of international input and a decrease in international sanctions on
Iran. This deal, according to Pickering, would include terms both Iran and the United
States could accept.

Following his speech, Pickering took questions from the
audience, some so insightful that alumnus Chris Westberg ’77 remarked that he “was
proud of the quality of the questions asked by William & Mary students.”

Connor Smith described Pickering’s speech as
an “impactful opportunity for the school community to gain insight from one of
the most storied diplomats in recent history.”